More on Sky One

5 Reasons why Strike Back is well worth a watch

Thrilling new drama series Strike Back will be landing on Sky One later this month, and here are five reasons why it is definitely worth a watch.

1. Edge-of-your-seat action:

Explosions, high-stake missions, you name it: Strike Back is the action-packed show sure to keep you gripped throughout. The new series sees the resurrection of the Section programme in order to track down a notorious terrorist following a brutal prison break. Tasked with covert military intelligence and high-risk operations, the restored unit embarks on a lethal manhunt that will uncover a vast web of interconnected criminal activity. As the team journey across the Middle East and Europe, they uncover a deadly conspiracy which threatens to overwhelm them all and change the face of modern warfare forever.

2. New, all-star cast:

Strike Back is returning to Sky One with an exciting and brand new cast. The series will be formed of Warren Brown (Luther), Daniel MacPherson (The Shannara Chronicles) Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones) and Alin Sumarwata (Neighbours).

3. Incorporation of modern world, political issues:

Among the high-intensity action scenes, the show also tackles some seriously interesting contemporary issues, as the Section programme is thrown into today’s world of political polarisation, violent power struggles and fear.

Adam MacDonald, Director of Sky One, explained: “This latest series of Strike Back is another welcome addition to Sky One’s ever-growing collection of high quality, home-grown dramas. At such an interesting time in global politics, this series delivers a compelling take on world events and the murky world of international espionage.”

4. Visually spectacular:

As you can see from the thrilling new trailer, Strike Back is also a total visual spectacle, featuring breathtaking stunts and special effects:

5. World class writers, directors and producers:

With a team of only the best creators behind the new series, viewers can expect a high-quality and well-executed season this October. The new series was penned by the amazing Jack Lothian, who also served as showrunner and executive producer. Michael J. Basset directed the show, and was also an executive producer alongside Andy Harries and Sharon Hughff, while Bill Shephard was the series producer.

More on Sky One

Strike Back: Meet the new team

Strike Back is back and better than ever before.

The new series of the top espionage series will return on Tuesday, October 31st with a new team, new mission and new enemies.

When the mastermind behind some of the worst ever acts of Western terrorism is freed during a jailbreak, Colonel Adeena Donovan (Nina Sosanya) must recruit the very best agents to seek him out. Together, they’ll be hurled into a world of high-powered socialites, arrogant Saudi Princes and nefarious arms dealers. Can they find Idrisi and his cunning wife Jane Sowry before they pull off their horrific plan for Europe? The clock is ticking.

Introducing the team

Sergeant Thomas McAllister (Warren Brown)

Sergeant Thomas McAllister, also known as Mac, is a very experienced sergeant seeking revenge on Idrisi after his whole squad were killed during the jailbreak. After barely escaping with his own life, Mac’s fury over the faulty intelligence received on Idrisi lands him in military prison. It’s there he meets Donovan, who is looking to recruit a man with exactly his abilities and knowledge.

He is portrayed by Warren Brown, who describes Mac as “very good at what he does” and a “dangerous weapon” for the team.

Sergeant Samuel Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson)

Sergeant Samuel Wyatt is an experienced and nihilistic special ops soldier who prefers operating alone. He’s thrown into the equation when McAllister rescues him from the clutches of a rogue Libyan general and is none-too-excited about the prospect of working with McAllister and sharing his intel on Idrisi.

Daniel Macpherson portrays Wyatt, who he describes as “a wonderful conundrum” because “he’s got a childlike wonderment and enthusiasm for life, yet the single thing he is best at in his life is killing bad people.” He also reckons Wyatt is the “kind of guy you want to have a beer
with”.

Lance Corporal Gracie Novin (Alin Sumarwata)

Lance Corporal Gracie Novin is an Australian Iranian Special Ops Command with an expert understanding of machinery, having worked her way up as an engineer. She’s easy-going and the best team player of the group and joints the team after saving both Mac and Wyatt.

Alin Sumarwata says Novin “loves a laugh and a drink” but watch out because she “always has her senses tuned in and ready to pounce”. She’s also a “pretty ace sniper”.

Captain Natalie Reynolds (Roxanne McKee)

Completing the new team is the introverted and inscrutable Captain Natalie Reynolds. The team’s captain is no stranger to the world of Section 20, having grown up shunted from army base to army base because of her father. She’s enigmatic, willing to use her sexuality to her advantage and unsure about whether her new colleagues are truly up for the task at hand.

Roxanne McKee says “there is a lot going on inside that isn’t projected at first because she
is the captain and she wants to maintain a level of distance”. There’s a lot beneath the surface, however, which will be unveiled.

More on Bounty Hunters

REVIEW: Sky One’s brand new comedy drama Bounty Hunters collides two opposite worlds on the run in a haphazardly thrilling chase

Bounty Hunters premieres on Sky One this October, and TVGuide.co.uk has reviewed episode one of the series to give you a taste of what to expect.

When the quiet, book-smart Barnaby attempts to single-handedly save his father’s antiques business, he unwittingly ends up doing more harm than good. Now stripped of £50,000, Barnaby and his sister call on Brooklyn bounty hunter Nina Morales to help him get his money back. However, little did they know Nina is wanted by a lethal Mexican drug cartel, meaning the missing 50 grand was only the beginning of Barnaby’s problems…

Sky One’s brand new comedy drama series brings TV lovers the best of both worlds. Bounty Hunters has all the excitement of a drug cartel, Breaking Bad-style series show, wrapped up with all the appeal of a British comedy show.

The first episode begins in Brooklyn, New York, where the badass Nina is hunting down criminals as the track “It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop” by Dead Prez booms. At this point, you might think you have a pretty good idea of what kind of show this is going to be, but the juxtaposition between this and the next scene is truly fantastic. The viewer is then transported to Cambridge, where Flemish textiles student Barnaby is trying to fit his box-sized smart car into the world’s smallest parking space. It’s the mixing of these two polar opposite worlds that makes Bounty Hunters such an original and funny series.

The show has a brilliant cast. Oscar nominee Rosie Perez is fiery and dripping with cool confidence as Nina, while Jack Whitehall’s comic timing is as on point as always as the painfully straight-cut Barnaby. It is the dynamic between these two actors, though, that works so well. The characters couldn’t be more different and yet they develop a relationship that’s both ridiculously funny and really quite endearing.

More on Bounty Hunters

5 Hilarious comedians who made it as actors

The hilarious new Sky One comedy Bounty Hunters, starring Jack Whitehall, hits screens on Wednesday, October 25th at 10pm.

Bounty Hunters is the story of Cambridge PHD student Barnaby Walker (Whitehall), whose fortunes take an unlikely turn after he loses the family antique business and is forced to recruit professional bounty hunter Nina Morales (Rosie Perez) to return his money.

Unbeknownst to Barnaby, Morales is wanted by a Mexican drug cartel and may cause more problems than she solves. An adventure awaits – involving high tensions, cartel members and international terrorists.

To whet our appetites for the brilliant new series, we’ve taken a look at some of the other top-notch actors who started their careers in comedy – just like Jack.

1. Jack Whitehall

Whitehall, the star of new Sky sitcom Bounty Hunters began performing stand-up comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007. He won the Amused Moose Laugh Off, Charlie Harthill Special Reserve and was a finalist So You Think You’re Funny? in that same year. In 2009 he brought his first solo stand-up show, Nearly Rebellious, to Fringe and achieved a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

Whitehall made his acting debut in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat, where he portrayed public schoolboy JP for four seasons from 2011. He’s since starred in the self-penned Bad Education and BBC One Drama Decline and Fall.

2. Alan Davies

Davies’ career began performing stand-up comedy in 1988 at the Whitstable Labour Club. He was awarded Time Out’s Best Young Comic in 1991 and won the Edinburgh Festival Critics Award for Comedy in 1994.

In 1997, he began playing the titular role in Jonathan Creek as a stage magician who solved crimes. The series won the Best Drama Series BAFTA in 1998.

3. Matt Lucas

Lucas began his career in stand-up comedy ages 18 on the London stand-up circuit, where he performed as the character Sir Bernard Chumley. He was soon spotted by Bob Mortimer and invited to appear on Reeves and Mortimer’s quiz show Shooting Stars in 1992. However, it was with the award-winning sketch show Little Britain that Lucas is most well-known.

After appearing in a number of comedy and sketch shows, Lucas took his first role in a television drama in 2005, where he played a Venetian duke in Casanova. Most recently, he took the role of Nardole in the tenth series of Doctor Who.

4. Dawn French

Dawn French began her comedy career at The Comic Strip in 1980 with fellow comedienne Jennifer Saunders, after the pair met at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. By 1987 the duo had their own comedy sketch show French and Saunders, which ran for seven seasons and achieved critical acclaim.

As an actor, French is best known for her performance as unconventional vicar Geraldine Granger in the Victor of Dibley, for which she received four BAFTA TV Award nominations. More recently, she has starred in Sky One infidelity drama Delicious. The series was renewed for a second season earlier this year.

5. Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey’s comedy career began in 1984 when he formed a musical double-act called The Rubber Bishops with Toby Longworth. 1995 he was nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his solo show Cosmic Jam, which was later recorded at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London and broadcast on Channel 4 as Bill Bailey Live. In 1999, he won Best Live Stand-Up at the British Comedy Awards.

Bailey’s first big acting role was as helpful bookshop assistant Manny Bianco in the double BAFTA Award-winning sitcom Black Books. He’s since made a number of acting appearances in shows such as Jonathan Creek, Skins and Doctor Who.

Bounty Hunters, starring Jack Whitehall, begins on Sky One on Wednesday, October 25 at 10pm.